Wolfgang Van Halen has spoken candidly about the weight of carrying the legendary Van Halen name and the immense expectations that come with it.
Recently, Wolfgang’s band Mammoth officially dropped the “WVH” suffix from its name — a change that Wolf says reflects how he always envisioned the band. The name Mammoth pays homage to his late father Eddie Van Halen’s first band, which also went by the same name. With Wolfgang handling both vocals and guitar duties, reviving the name felt like a meaningful tribute.
Earlier this May, Mammoth released a new single titled The End, accompanied by a horror-themed music video. The video featured appearances from Slash, Myles Kennedy, and some of Wolfgang’s close friends and family. The End marked the band’s first release under the simplified name “Mammoth,” without the “WVH” branding.
Speaking during a Q&A session at WDHA’s Mammoth For Ya’ Mama! event — held at Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey — Wolfgang shared the origins of the Mammoth band name.
“I have early demos for the song Mammoth. It was called Mammoth I, ‘cause it was the first idea I ever wrote that was like, ‘This is gonna be for my band Mammoth,’” Wolfgang recalled. “I think it was in 2013 that I wrote the idea.”
Wolfgang didn’t approach his father about using the name until a few years later. “I didn’t ask Dad [if I could use the name] until, like, 2016. I think we were on that last [Van Halen] tour. And I was like, ‘Hey, Pop, is that cool if I call my band Mammoth?’ And he was like, ‘F**k yeah!’ I don’t know why I was so nervous to ask him, because, God, he was the most supportive person other than my mom in my life,” he said.
Reflecting on the challenges of having such a legendary surname, Wolfgang added, “Man, is it a f**king tightrope to walk, with the shadow I’m under and the expectations. And it’s, like, I wanna be able to have the opportunity to reference my lineage, but not copy it and just put a flag in it and sit there and play Panama for everybody every night. I wanna be able to be my own person.”
Through Mammoth, Wolfgang Van Halen continues to carve out his own path — one that honors his family’s legacy without being confined by it.
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